Brazil Court urges ban on social welfare funds for betting

Following a report from the Central Bank of Brazil indicating that 20% of Bolsa Família funds distributed in August were used for online betting, the Attorney General’s Office (AGU) has argued that the government lacks the authority to dictate how recipients spend the money once it has been transferred. Supporting this claim, the AGU cited data from the National Secretariat of Citizen Income (Senarc), which found that only 1% of Bolsa Família beneficiaries withdraw their benefits using the physical card, while the vast majority (99%) access the funds via online bank accounts that can also receive other sources of income, such as salaries.